Hemmes Buys Industry-favoured Pub Close To Enmore Theatre

Resurgent Sydney suburb Enmore will soon see fresh life injected into local venue the Queen Victoria Hotel — an industry favourite — following the news that pubs'n'hotels behemoth Merivale, headed by 'bar tsar' Justin Hemmes, has purchased the Enmore Road watering hole.

As Fairfax reports, an exact figure on the sale has not been disclosed but is estimated to fall somewhere around the $11 million mark in a deal that comes only a month after Merivale put up $46 million to take control of the Newport Arms hotel.

The purchase is a savvy move, with the Queen Victoria Hotel standing in proximity to renowned gig spot the Enmore Theatre, with Hemmes telling Fairfax that, following "a small makeover" with an eye to a bigger overhaul "down the track", the venue will offer Hong Kong-style street food and the possibility of before-and-after sustenance for show-goers.

"For me, it's like Surry Hills used to be, Hemmes said. "I went to a Lebanese place, Emma's, about six months ago and just thought the crowd was fantastic. It's a really interesting demographic, lots of artists and younger couples."

"We might have pre- and post-show meals [at the Queen Victoria]," Hemmes continued. "I'm not sure what we'll do exactly, but there is going to be a strong, accessibly priced food focus.

"We'll give it a small makeover, then do something bigger down the track."